JS Tip 616: Root Cause Analysis: An Introduction

From the Leadership Workshops: Root Cause Analysis, An Introduction 

In 1854, Henry David Thoreau wrote— 

There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.” (Walden)  

In 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote—

We have moved into an era where we are called upon to raise certain basic questions about the whole society. We are still called upon to give aid to the beggar who finds himself in misery and agony on life’s highway. But one day, we must ask the question of whether an edifice which produces beggars must not be restructured and refurbished. (The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.)

This seems to be a continuing problem. 

Next week, we’ll begin a series on root cause analysis. Finding the roots of a problem instead of hacking at the leaves.

In 1980, the lyricists of Les Miserables wrote—

The time is now.
The day is here. 

This is probably a good time to begin.  

We love this stuff.